Abstract:

A wire containment cap has twisted pair slots for routing twisted wire
pairs through the wire containment cap. The twisted pair slots are
provided with funnel-shaped entrances to assist in routing the twisted
wire pairs from a rear end of the wire containment cap toward wire slots
of the wire containment cap. The wire containment cap may be provided in
shielded or unshielded versions, and is adapted for use with a
communication jack assembly.

Claims:

1. A shielded wire containment cap for use with a communication connector,
the wire containment cap comprising:a rear end;a front end;an opening in
the rear end;first and second twisted-pair slots within the opening, the
twisted-pair slots having funnel-shaped slot entrances; anda rear spine,
the spine extending from a first inner wall of the wire containment cap
to an opposing second inner wall of the wire containment cap, wherein the
twisted-pair slots angle away from a central longitudinal axis of the
wire-containment cap.

[0002]The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors,
and more particularly, to a modular communication jack design with an
improved wire containment cap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003]In the communications industry, as data transmission rates have
steadily increased, crosstalk due to capacitive and inductive couplings
among the closely spaced parallel conductors within the jack and/or plug
has become increasingly problematic. Modular connectors with improved
crosstalk performance have been designed to meet the increasingly
demanding standards. Many of these connectors have addressed crosstalk by
compensating at the front end of the jack, i.e., the end closest to where
a plug is inserted into the jack. However, the wire pairs terminated to
the insulation displacement contact ("IDC") terminals at the rear portion
of a jack may also affect the performance of the jack.

[0004]One problem that exists when terminating wire pairs to the IDC
terminals of a jack is the effect that termination has on the crosstalk
performance of a jack. When a twisted-pair cable with four wire pairs is
aligned and terminated to the IDC terminals of a jack, a wire pair may
need to flip over or under another wire pair. An individual conductor of
a wire pair may also be untwisted and orientated closely to a conductor
from a different wire pair. Both of these conditions may result in
unintended coupling in the termination area which can degrade the
crosstalk performance of the jack. Thus, a solution addressing the
crosstalk in the termination area of the jack would be desirable.

[0005]A second problem that exists when terminating wire pairs to the IDC
terminals of a jack is variability. A technician is typically called on
to properly terminate the wire pairs of a twisted pair cable to the
proper IDC terminals of the jack. Each jack terminated by the technician
should have similar crosstalk performance. This requires the termination
to remain consistent from jack to jack. However, different installers may
use slightly different techniques to separate out the wire pairs and
route them to their proper IDC terminals. Thus, a solution that controls
the variability of terminations from jack to jack would be desirable.

[0006]A final issue that arises when terminating wire pairs to the IDC
terminals of a jack is the difficulty of the termination process. Typical
jacks provide little assistance to the technician, resulting in
occasional misterminations (e.g. a wire being terminated at an incorrect
location in the jack). Even if detailed instructions are provided with
the jack, technicians may not read these instructions prior to installing
the jacks. Furthermore, a jack with a difficult termination process can
increase the installation time for the technician and result in a costly
installation for the customer. Thus, a jack solution that simplifies the
termination process and minimizes the possibility of technician error
would be desirable.

SUMMARY

[0007]The present application meets the shortcomings of the prior art by
providing a wire containment cap having a first side including a
plurality of retainers for retaining wires, a second side being opposite
the first side, two sidewalls extending between the first side and the
second side, and wire pair holes or slots between the first side and the
second side.

[0008]A communication jack assembly is also described. The communication
jack comprises a front portion including a retention clip, and a wire
containment cap including a retention recess for securing the wire
containment cap to the front portion. The wire containment cap comprises
a first side including a plurality of retainers for retaining wires, a
second side being opposite the first side, two sidewalls extending
between the first side and the second side, and wire pair holes or slots
between the first side and the second side.

[0009]Wire containment caps and communication jack assemblies according to
the present invention may be provided in shielded or unshielded
embodiments. Further, the second side of wire containment caps according
to the present invention may be provided with a slot and other features
allowing for the use of an integral strain relief clip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0010]FIG. 1 is a front upper right perspective view of a communication
jack having a wire containment cap in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention;

[0011]FIG. 2 is a front upper right partially exploded view of the
communication jack of FIG. 1;

[0012]FIG. 3 is a front upper right perspective view of a wire containment
cap in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0013]FIG. 4 is a rear upper right perspective view of the wire
containment cap of FIG. 3;

[0014]FIG. 5 is a rear view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 3;

[0015]FIG. 6 is a right-side view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 3;

[0016]FIG. 7 is a front view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 3;

[0017]FIG. 8 is a top view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 3;

[0018]FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 3;

[0019]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG.
6; FIG. 10a is the cross-sectional view of FIG. 10 further showing a
cable and twisted wire pairs of the cable;

[0020]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG.
7; FIG. 11a is the cross-sectional view of FIG. 11 further showing a
cable and twisted wire pairs of the cable; FIG. 11b is the
cross-sectional view of FIG. 11 further showing a cable and crossed-over
twisted wire pairs of the cable;

[0021]FIG. 12 is a front upper right perspective view of a shielded wire
containment cap according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0022]FIG. 13 is a rear upper right perspective view of the wire
containment cap of FIG. 12;

[0023]FIG. 14 is a rear view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 12;

[0024]FIG. 15 is a left-side view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 12;

[0025]FIG. 16 is a front view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 12;

[0026]FIG. 17 is a top view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 12;

[0027]FIG. 18 is a bottom view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 12;

[0028]FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of FIG.
15;

[0029]FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D of FIG.
16;

[0030]FIG. 21 is a front upper right perspective view of a wire
containment cap according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0031]FIG. 22 is a rear upper right perspective view of the wire
containment cap of FIG. 21;

[0032]FIG. 23 is a rear view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 21;

[0033]FIG. 24 is a right-side view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 21;

[0034]FIG. 25 is a front view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 21;

[0035]FIG. 26 is a top view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 21;

[0036]FIG. 27 is a bottom view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 21;

[0037]FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line E-E of FIG.
24;

[0038]FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F-F of FIG.
25;

[0039]FIG. 30 is a front upper right perspective view of a wire
containment cap according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0040]FIG. 31 is a rear upper right perspective view of the wire
containment cap of FIG. 30;

[0041]FIG. 32 is a rear view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 30;

[0042]FIG. 33 is a right-side view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 30;

[0043]FIG. 34 is a front view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 30;

[0044]FIG. 35 is a top view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 30;

[0045]FIG. 36 is a bottom view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 30;

[0046]FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line G-G of FIG.
33;

[0047]FIG. 38 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line H-H of FIG.
34;

[0048]FIG. 39 is a front upper right perspective view of a shielded wire
containment cap according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0049]FIG. 40 is a rear upper right perspective view of the wire
containment cap of FIG. 39;

[0050]FIG. 41 is a rear view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 39;

[0051]FIG. 42 is a left-side view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 39;

[0052]FIG. 43 is a front view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 39;

[0053]FIG. 44 is a top view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 39;

[0054]FIG. 45 is a bottom view of the wire containment cap of FIG. 39;

[0055]FIG. 46 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG.
42; and

[0056]FIG. 47 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line J-J of FIG.
43.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0057]FIG. 1 is a front upper right perspective view of a communication
jack 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The
communication jack 100 includes a front portion 102 and a wire
containment cap 104. The front portion 102 may include such components as
plug interface contacts, a mechanism for coupling the jack to a plug,
crosstalk compensation circuitry, and wire-displacement contacts to
provide an electrical connection between the jack and a communication
cable. Additional details on the wire containment cap 104 are described
with reference to FIGS. 3-11, below.

[0058]FIG. 2 is a front upper right partial-exploded view of the
communication jack 100 of FIG. 1. In the embodiment shown, the wire
containment cap 104 is slidably mounted within the front portion 102. A
retention clip 106 on the front portion 102 and a retention recess 108 on
the wire containment cap 104 may be included to secure the wire
containment cap 104 to the front portion 102. A retention latch 110 is
also provided in the embodiment of FIG. 2. Other mounting and securing
techniques may also be used.

[0059]FIGS. 3-11 illustrate the wire containment cap 104 in further
detail. The wire containment cap 104 includes a large opening 112 in the
back to allow a cable to be inserted, and allow the pairs to separate in
a short distance as they transition toward IDC terminals. The back of the
wire containment cap 104 also has a strain relief guide slot 114 and
strain relief latch teeth 116 to accommodate a strain relief clip as
shown and described in U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.
60/636,972, filed on Dec. 17, 2004 and entitled "Wire Containment Cap
with an Integral Strain Relief Clip." Shoulders 117 are provided on the
left and right along the rear of the wire containment cap 104.

[0060]The opening 112 provides easy access to two slots 118 having
funnel-shaped slot entrances 120. A rear spine 122 separates the slots
toward the rear of the wire containment cap 104 and a front spine 124--as
shown in FIG. 3--separates wire pairs at the front of the wire
containment cap 104. A saddle area 126 serves as a lower support for a
cable when the cable is clipped by the strain relief clip.

[0061]In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wires are
separated and crossed-over as necessary toward the rear of the wire
containment cap 104, before the wires are inserted into the slots 118.
The saddle area 126 is sufficiently low and the rear spine 122 is
sufficiently offset from the rear end of the wire containment cap 104 to
provide an installer with ample room to separate and cross-over or "flip"
wire pairs as necessary on the rear sides of the slots 118. One reason
this flip may be necessary is because the wire pair layout on one end of
a twisted pair cable is a mirror image of the wire pair layout on the
opposite end of the twisted pair cable. Another reason this flip may
occur is because the Telecommunications Industry Association ("TIA")
standards allow structured cabling systems to be wired using two
different wiring schemes. Finally, a flip may occur because not all
cables have the same pair layout.

[0062]To complete the installation, the technician need only place wire
pairs through appropriate slots 118, secure individual wire pairs in the
upper and lower wire restraints 128 and 130--as shown in FIG. 3--and
attach the wire containment cap 104 to the front portion 102 of the
communication jack 100.

[0063]The slots 118 are preferably sized so that lateral or vertical
shifting of wires after the wires have been inserted into the slots 118
is reduced or eliminated. In a preferred embodiment, the wire containment
cap 104 is constructed of a plastic material, such as a thermoplastic.
Alternative materials, shapes, and subcomponents could be utilized
instead of what is illustrated in FIGS. 3-11.

[0064]The shoulders 117 serve as support and stopping mechanisms to place
the wire containment cap 104 in a correct physical position with respect
to the front portion 102 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Alternative support
and/or stopping mechanisms could also be used, such as one located on the
front portion 102, or on the wire containment cap 104 in such a position
that it abuts an interior location in the front portion 102, rather than
the exterior abutment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0065]Additional details of the wire containment cap 104 are shown in
FIGS. 5-11. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the wire containment cap 104 showing
the slots 118 and the funnel-shaped slot entrances 120.

[0066]FIG. 6 is a right-side view of the wire containment cap 104.

[0067]FIG. 7 is a front view of the wire containment cap 104 showing the
slots 118, the front spine 124, and the upper and lower wire restraints
128 and 130.

[0068]FIG. 8 is a top view of the wire containment cap 104 showing the
retention recess 108, the retention latch 110, and the upper wire
restraints 128.

[0070]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the wire containment cap 104
along the line A-A of FIG. 6. The rear spine 122 and the front spine 124
are visible, as are the lower wire restraints 130. FIG. 10a shows the
cross-sectional view of FIG. 10 further illustrating twisted wire pairs
131 emerging from a cable 133 and routed through the twisted-pair slots
118.

[0071]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the wire containment cap 104
along the line B-B of FIG. 7, showing a slot 118 and its funnel-shaped
entrance 120. The strain relief latch teeth 116 are also visible in FIG.
11. FIG. 11a shows the cross-sectional view of FIG. 11 further
illustrating twisted wire pairs 131 emerging from a cable 133 and routed
through the twisted-pair slot 118 toward the upper and lower wire slots
127 and 129. FIG. 11b is similar to FIG. 11a, but illustrates twisted
wire pairs 131 that are crossed over within the twisted-pair slot 118 and
routed toward opposite wire slots 127 and 129.

[0072]Turning now to FIG. 12, a shielded wire containment cap 204
according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. A rear
portion 205 of the shielded wire containment cap 204 is constructed of
metal. The metal portion comprises the rear portion of the strain relief
guide slot 214, the strain relief latch teeth 216, and the saddle area
226. A front portion 207 of the shielded wire containment cap 204 is
preferably constructed of plastic.

[0073]The slots 218 and the slot entrances 220 of the shielded wire
containment cap 204 are larger than the slots 118 of the wire containment
cap 104 to accommodate wires with larger diameters. The strain relief
guide slot 214 and the saddle area 226 are also modified for use with
shielded cable having a larger diameter than a cable used with the wire
containment cap 104. Similarly to the wire containment cap 104, the
region around the opening 212 in the rear of the shielded wire
containment cap 204 and the setback of the rear spine 222 provides ample
room for crossing-over of wires before the wires are inserted by an
installer into the slots 218.

[0074]Additional details of the shielded wire containment cap 204 are
shown in FIGS. 14-20, similarly to the illustrations of the wire
containment cap 104 in FIGS. 5-11, above. Elements of the shielded wire
containment cap 204--and of other wire containment caps, below--are
numbered similarly to similar elements of the wire containment cap 104.

[0075]FIGS. 21-29 show a wire containment cap 304 with four closely-spaced
wire pair holes 309 for accepting wire pairs. Hole entrances 311 (shown
in FIG. 22) are offset from a rear end of the wire containment cap 304 to
provide room for an installer to cross-over necessary wire pairs before
inserting the wire pairs into the hole entrances 311. The hole entrances
311 are preferably provided with funnel-shaped entrance surfaces.
According to one embodiment, the holes 309 are sized to accept twisted
pairs with conductor diameters of approximately 0.040 inches. A rear
spine 322 and rear separator ribs 323 separate the hole entrances 311
from one another.

[0076]FIGS. 30-38 illustrate a wire containment cap 404 having four
wire-pair holes 409 that are spaced farther apart at their front ends
than the wire-pair holes 309 of the wire containment cap 304. According
to one embodiment, the holes 409 are sized to accept twisted pairs with
conductor diameters of approximately 0.040 inches. The hole entrances 411
of the wire containment cap 409 angle more sharply away from the center
of the wire containment cap 409 than the hole entrances 311 of the wire
containment cap 309 do. This forces wire pairs to exit the holes 409
closer to their corresponding upper and lower wire restraints 428 and 430
than the resulting placement of wires in the wire containment cap 309.

[0077]FIGS. 39-47 show a shielded wire containment cap 504 according to
another embodiment of the present invention. The shielded wire
containment cap 504 has four wire-pair holes 509 that are larger than the
wire-pair holes 309 and 409, discussed above. The larger wire-pair holes
509 are for use with shielded cables having conductors with greater
diameters. Similarly to the shielded wire containment cap 204, discussed
above, the shielded wire containment cap 504 has a rear portion 505
constructed of metal. The strain relief guide slot 514 and the saddle
area 526 are also modified for use with shielded cable.